For on-the-go nutrition, post-workout power-ups, proper meals or margaritas, a good blender can make all the difference to your nutrition…
Contrary to popular opinion, it’s the kitchen – not the gym – where you lay your fitness foundations. Arm yourself with one of the best blenders and you’ll be able to blitz up protein powders and pre-workout shakes in seconds, and elevate your smoothie game by crushing, grinding, pureeing and chopping the freshest, healthiest ingredients.
From portable smoothie makers to culinary power-houses and versatile soup makers, our tester Chris Halsam has put each blender through its paces, seeing how they cope with blitzing everything from simple protein shakes and fruit smoothies to fibrous greens and frozen margaritas. He’s tested the latest designs for every budget, to help you boost your nutrition and rejuvenate your diet, whatever your fitness goals.
How to choose the best blender for you
Your ideal blender will depend on a number of factors including the size of your kitchen worktop and whether you want to do more than just blitz up a smoothie for breakfast. If you’re into making soups and want to be more adventurous in the kitchen, a larger jug blender is ideal, offering various power modes and plenty of useful attachments. Though that will take up more worktop space.
Smoothie makers, on the other hand, are compact and come with twist-on lids that allow you to have your shake on the go. They typically make one serving at a time and lack the power of bigger blenders, although some can still blitz nuts, breadcrumbs and even ice.
Blenders offer a greater level of control when chopping, grinding and pureeing. As you’ll see from our selection, some brands such as Vitamix also come with a single-serve smoothie cup attachment, giving you the best of both worlds.
What makes a good blender?
Speed and power
Ask a chef and they’ll say control and power are the most important factors when choosing a blender. Smoothie makers often have just one or two speed modes, but those with multiple speed settings enable the user to puree nuts in seconds, liquify ingredients and handle hard-to-blend leafy ingredients. Power is also key when looking to blitz frozen fruit and ice, and anything over 1,000W should be enough for most tasks, while some, such as our Editor’s Pick, the Sage The Super Q, has 2,400W.
Programs
Not a feature often found on simple smoothie makers, more advanced blenders often have a range of automatic programs to take the guesswork out of your recipe making. These can include settings for ice crushing, fruit and green smoothies, nuts and even soup.
Accessories
Some smoothie makers come with two jugs while other blenders have large pouring jugs for batch cooking and smaller cups for chopping nuts, or single-serve drinks. Look out for designs with interchangeable multi-functional blades to tackle the widest choice of wet and dry ingredients. Some can even knock up pizza dough or sponge cake batter.
Cleaning
Many blenders are advertised as ‘easy clean’ and while some are easier to rinse than others, they’re all a bit of a faff, especially if you’re using powders and greens. Look for dishwasher-safe parts to save you extra effort. Some have self-cleaning programs, which can help get powder residue out of the corners.
Our pick of the best blenders
(Read on for full reviews…)
- Sage The Super Q ($549 / £599) – Best overall blender
- Nutribullet 900 ($79 / £119) – Best blender for smoothies
- Blendjet 2 ($49 / £49) – Best blender for protein shakes
- Ninja 3-in-1 ($168 / £199) – Best multi-functional blender
- Smeg Personal Blender ($169 / £109) – Best blender for aesthetic design
- Vitamix E310 ($349 / £429) – Best blender for power
BEST BLENDER
Sage The Super Q
BUY IT NOW:
$549 / £599, amazon.com / sageappliances.com
Power: 5/5
Blending: 4.5/5
Crushing: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5
Power: 2,400W | Capacity: 67.6oz / 2 litres | Size: 18.1 x 8.3 x 10.6in / 46 x 21 x 27cm | Attachments: 23.6oz / 700ml personal cup, spatula | Extras: tamper, digital recipe book
If you want a quality blender that can turn its blades to ice creams and cocktails as well as soups, sauces and smoothies, check out the Super Q. At 2,400W, this beast of a blender from Sage (or Breville in the US) is the most powerful in our roundup.
Ingeniously shaped blades rotate at up to 300km/h, pulverising any ingredient in seconds. It’s big enough to knock out recipes for the whole family and has a useful 23.6oz / 700ml cup for enjoying your creations on the go.
Read our full Sage The Super Q review
BEST BLENDER FOR SMOOTHIES
Nutribullet 900
BUY IT NOW:
$119 / £79, nutribullet.co.uk
Power: 4.5/5
Blending: 4.5/5
Crushing: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5
Power: 900W | Capacity: 30.7oz / 909ml | Size: 14.6 x 5.5 x 6.7in / 37 x 14 x 17cm | Attachments: 23oz / 680ml cup with sip lid, 30.7oz / 909ml cup with fridge lid
You don’t need a big budget to invest in one of the biggest names in blenders. Nutribullet’s mid-range 900 blender will set you back less than $150 / £100, giving you a 900W machine that will pulverise almost anything.
Its unique blade design is made to extract more nutrients from fresh fruit and veg and it’ll make mincemeat of fibrous greens. If you’re into cocktails, the Nutribullet is one of the best at crushing ice too. It comes with an oversized cup and a takeaway cup with a sip lid.
Read our full Nutribullet 900 review
BEST BLENDER FOR PROTEIN SHAKES
BlendJet 2
BUY IT NOW:
$99.95 / £99, blendjet.com
Power: 3/5
Blending: 4/5
Crushing: 3/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Power: 5V | Capacity: 15.4oz / 454ml | Size: 9.1in x 3in diameter / 23 x 7.6cm diameter | Extras: USB-C charging cable
At the other end of the scale from the Sage lies the handy BlendJet 2. Currently on offer at a tenth of the Super Q’s price, it’s a great value portable blender that can make up to 15 shakes on a single charge.
Unsurprisingly it’s best suited to soft fruit smoothies and shakes, but will break down frozen fruit and rolled oats with a bit of effort. With 38 colours to choose from, it’s a gym bag staple that can really make a statement.
Read our full BlendJet 2 review
BEST MULTI-FUNCTIONAL BLENDER
Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor with Auto-IQ
BUY IT NOW:
$168 / £199, walmart.com / ninjakitchen.co.uk
Power: 3.5/5
Blending: 4/5
Crushing: 3.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Power: 1,200W | Capacity: 71oz / 2.1-litre | Size: 18.9 x 10 x 7.5in / 48 x 25.5 x 19cm | Attachments: 23.6oz / 700ml cup, 60.9oz / 1.8-litre food processor, grating blade
The Ninja 3-in-1 is a multi-functional blender that’ll take your recipes to the next level. It’s a versatile machine that can chop, slice, blend, puree, grate, mix and even make cakes or pizza dough.
You’ll be spoilt for choice with its jug, bowl and cup attachments while a four-speed motor allows you to refine your blending. The base auto detects what attachment you’ve selected, illuminating just the buttons you’ll need – which is a nice touch.
Read our full Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor review
BEST BLENDER FOR AESTHETIC DESIGN
Smeg PBF01 Personal Blender
BUY IT NOW:
$169 / £109, amazon.com / shop.smeguk.com
Power: 3.5/5
Blending: 4/5
Crushing: 3/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Power: 300W | Capacity: 20.3oz / 600ml | Size: 12.8 x 5.5 x 5.5in / 32.5 x 14 x 14cm | Attachments: 2x 20.3oz / 600ml bottles with lids
Smeg is undoubtedly the king of classic kitchen appliance design and its PBF01 Personal Blender is another triumph. If you value your kitchen real estate then this blender will fit right in, with its compact footprint and robust design.
Two 20oz / 600ml bottles with sip lips means it’s easy to grab a shake and go when you’re rushing out the door. At only 300W it may struggle with nuts and ice but that’s a price worth paying for its convenience and good looks.
Read our full Smeg PBF01 Personal Blender review
BEST BLENDER FOR POWER
Vitamix E310 Explorian
BUY IT NOW:
$349 / £429, vitamix.com / vitamixuk.com
Power: 4/5
Blending: 4/5
Crushing: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Power: 1,400W | Capacity: 51oz / 1.5 litres | Size: 18.1 x 7.9 x 11in / 46 x 20 x 28cm | Extras: mini tamper, recipe book
Don’t be fooled into thinking that, because this is Vitamix’s most affordable model, there’s anything basic about it. A whopping 1,400W of power will whip anything into the smoothest of shakes, smoothies or soups.
Although $349 / £429 doesn’t exactly scream ‘affordable’, the Vitamix’s premium construction will last you for years. And those of you with any culinary aspirations will appreciate the full manual control this machine gives you.
Read our full Vitamix E310 review
The post Best Blenders For Shakes, Smoothies & More appeared first on MensFitness.